Be Physically Fit like Batman :)

Posted by: Deep Paul

Dept: Fitness

Batman is a comic-hero who lives in Gotham City and who protects the city from any threats. His real name is 'Bruce Wayne'. He has been known to fight the Joker or Bane who are notorious for been criminals.

This article may inspire you to get your ass moving to fitness...

Steps:

Be flexible. In all of the 'Batman' Series of films, you can see that he is very flexible. He jumps a lot and does cart wheels in one of the films. He is also very good at running and dodging movements such as punches. To improve this you may:

1. Practice your gymnastics or any other skill which would make you more 'flexible' or 'bendable'.
2. You might try jumping, squatting or running which would also improve on your flexibility.


Try to be fit. You can try to be fit by doing:
1. Running, jogging, skipping, or any kind of physical activity.
2. You also might need to eat a lot of vegetables and/or eat less food and drink more water (remember that protein is necessary in gaining muscles so eat some meat as well).
3. A reminder that Batman is muscular and hence, you have to train or go to the gym a lot and lift up weights and/or do sit-ups really depending on your determination of being Batman.

Make your back straight. In the film, you never see Batman's back not straight and he doesn't have a hump back. You can:
Practice making your back straight everyday. Tell your family, relatives or friends that you have to walk in front of them so they can see whether your back is straight or not. Tell them to adjust it. Also making your back straight is very good for you so though this maybe hard, it has its own benefits.


In the end I'd like to quote a line: "Energy and persistence conquer all things."

Source: Google.

Poster's comment: Live healthy. Stay fit. All the best...... :)

 

Hendrix and Hippie community

Posted by - Abhisek Roy

Dept.- Music

                                     The man who revolutionized the guitar (and fashion sense) during the 1960s had a huge role to play to play in the communion of the Hippies. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am talking about the very-talented Jimi Hendrix, the man who is worshipped like a god by his followers 4 decades after his death. 

                                    

                                     Jimi Hendrix, in more than one ways, was the most exemplar of all the Acid-stoned Hippies. He dressed unconventionally, behaved unconventionally and yes, played his weapon of choice (the white Fender Stratocaster) very unconventionally. He, as I believe, really conglomerated all that was part of the Summer of Love phenomenon. This is why among all of his co-performers, his performance is the most iconic one in the Woodstock Festival of 1969, a haloed gathering among the Hippie community.

                                      Even artists like Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Jim Morrison and even, Bob Dylan have pledged their admiration for this man. Jimi Hendrix stands as the most towering figure of the Psychedelic area, and will continue to do so for generations to come.

New fibre optic technology can boost Internet bandwidth

Posted by: Avirup Basu

dept: Technology

In a breakthrough, scientists, including one of Indian-origin, have devised a new fibre optic technology that promises to increase bandwidth dramatically, easing Internet congestion and video streaming.  The technology centers on donut-shaped laser light beams called optical vortices, in which the light twists like a tornado as it moves along the beam path, rather than in a straight line.

Widely studied in molecular biology, atomic physics and quantum optics, optical vortices (also known as orbital angular momentum, or OAM, beams) were thought to be unstable in fibre, until Boston University Engineering Professor Siddharth Ramachandran recently designed an optical fibre that can propagate them.  In the paper in journal Science, he and Alan Willner of University of Southern California, demonstrated the stability of the beams in optical fibre and also their potential to boost Internet bandwidth.  "For several decades since optical fibres were deployed, the conventional assumption has been that OAM-carrying beams are inherently unstable in fibres," said Ramachandran.  "Our discovery, of design classes in which they are stable, has profound implications for a variety of scientific and technological fields that have exploited the unique  properties of OAM-carrying light, including the use of such beams for enhancing data capacity in fibres," he said.  Ramachandran and Willner collaborated with OFS-Fitel, a fibre optics company in Denmark, and Tel Aviv University.  Traditionally, bandwidth has been enhanced by increasing the number of colours, or wavelengths of data-carrying laser signals - essentially streams of 1s and 0s - sent down an optical fibre, where the signals are processed according to colour.  An emerging strategy to boost bandwidth is to send the light through a fibre along distinctive paths, or modes, each carrying a cache of data from one end of the fibre to the other.  Unlike the colours, however, data streams of 1s and 0s from different modes mix together; determining which data stream came from which source requires computationally intensive and energy-hungry digital signal processing algorithms.

Source: The Indian Express

Poster's comment: No comments

87% increase in phishing attacks in the last 12 months.

Posted by: Avirup Basu

Dept: Technology

PUNE: According to the results of Kaspersky Lab's 'The evolution of phishing attacks 2011-2013' survey, the number of internet users who faced phishing attacks over the last 12 months has grown from 19.9 million to 37.3 million, an increase of 87 %. Facebook, Yahoo, Google and Amazon are among main targets of cybercriminals. The study, which was carried out in June 2013 based on data from the Kaspersky Security Network cloud service, shows that what was once a subset of spam has evolved into a rapidly growing cyberthreat in its own right.  A press release by the lab said that phishing is a form of internet fraud in which criminals create a fake copy of a popular site (an email service, an internet banking website, a social networking site, etc.) and try to lure the users to these rogue web pages.

"The unsuspecting user enters their login information and passwords into these carefully forged websites as they normally would, but these access credentials are instead sent to the cyberiminals. The scammers can then use this stolen personal information, bank credentials, or passwords to steal the users' money, to distribute spam and malware via the compromised email or social networking accounts, or they can simply sell their databases of stolen passwords to other criminals," it said.  It added that for a long time, phishing was regarded as a variation of typical spam emails.  "However, the data from this survey confirms that the scale of phishing attacks has reached such a significant level that they should be regarded as a dangerous threat category of their own, not merely an off-shoot of general spam. In fact, email is no longer the most common delivery mechanism for phishing emails. For example, only 12 % of all registered phishing attacks were launched via spam mailings. The other 88% of cases came from links to phishing pages which people followed while using a web browser, a messaging system or otherwise interacting with the computer," the press release added.

Source: The times of India

Poster's comment: I am not sure what will be the statistics in the coming years.

 

We might be living in a "multiverse"

Posted by: Avirup Basu

dept: Science

WASHINGTON: A groundbreaking theory proposed 15 years ago by physicists that suggests the presence of a 'multiverse' or multiple universes may be correct, according to some US scientists.  If the theory proposed in 1997 by three University of Delaware physicists is true, then it could debunk some of the discoveries scientists were hoping to make at the Large Hadron Collider, the multi-billion-dollar particle accelerator in Geneva, Switzerland, where the famous " Higgs boson" was discovered, researchers said.  It would also suggest that we might be living in a "multiverse" - a universe that is much bigger than was once thought and in which the laws of physics take different forms in different places, according to an article in Scientific American. The article examines the "principle of naturalness", which has been thought to govern the size of the numbers in the laws of physics.

Source: Times of India

Welcome to the first official app of BLACKTRON NEWS SERVICE(BNS).

BNS through it's initial posts has been successful. We have decided to launch an app specially for Nokia Asha. We will show here how to use this app.

  

Download this app once it is published in the nokia store. This post is to introduce with the features of it.

Name: BNS
Type: Productive, utilities.
Developed by: Avirup Basu (avirup171)
Platform: Nokia asha s40.

This app will consist of all the posts and regularly updated as it is linked with this blog. You don't need to visit the page again and again just download the app and enjoy innovative-non conventional news. Soon this app will be available for WP as well.

Apple's future iphone may cost less than $99

Posted by: Avirup Basu

Dept:         Technology

Apple has plans to release a lower cost iPhone that will sell for 99 dollars.  The next version of the software for the iPhone will be incredibly different than past versions.

 Apple is reportedly looking at iPhones with bigger screens and will be releasing the low cost phone 

 in a range of colors as soon as this year, the ABC News reports. 

According to the report, Apple declined to comment on the rumors, but CEO Tim Cook addressed the question of larger screens last month at the All Things D conference.  Cook also said the iPhone doesn't have a larger screen right now for a few reasons.  He said that a large screen today comes with a lot of tradeoffs, adding that people do look at the size, but they also look at things like if the photos show the proper color, the white balance, reflectivity, battery life, brightness, the longevity of the display.  The phone is made of a plastic casing and will come in five or six different colors.  Besides releasing a cheaper model of the phone, Apple will release the iPhone 5S later this year.  It will be an update with some small additions and tweaks. Apple released the iPhone 5 in September.

Source: Hindusthan times

Poster's comment: Lets just wait and watch

GOOGLE DETECTS IRAN PHISHING ATTACKS AHEAD OF ELECTION. 

Google says it has detected and stopped thousands of phishing attacks targeting email accounts of Iranian users ahead of the 14 June presidential election

In an online statement, the firm said it had noticed a "significant jump" in the region's overall volume of phishing activity in the last three weeks.  

The timing and targets suggested the attacks were "politically motivated".  Friday's poll is the first since 2009 when President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won a controv\ersial second term.  

The election had triggered angry protests, with voters accusing Mr Ahmadinejad's camp of rigging the results in his favour.

Fake sign-in page

Google's vice-president of security engineering, Eric Grosse, said the phishing attacks originated from within Iran.  Phishing attempts to obtain passwords and other private computing information by directing users to fake websites.  "For almost three weeks, we have detected and disrupted multiple email-based phishing campaigns aimed at compromising the accounts owned by tens of thousands of Iranian users," he said.

"The timing and targeting of the campaigns suggest that the attacks are politically motivated in connection with the Iranian presidential election on Friday."  Mr Grosse said victims targeted in the attacks had received an email containing a link to a web page purporting to perform account maintenance.  If they clicked the link, they were taken to a fake Google sign-in page, which would steal their username and password.  The threat was detected by a phishing detection feature added to the firm's Chrome web browser in 2012.  Mr Grosse warned Iranian users to take extra measures to protect their accounts from "state-sponsored attacks".  In the latest case, users received a message which appeared to come from Google itself using the official-looking address: email.settings@gmail.com.  It suggested they assign an extra email address to their existing Google account to make password recovery easier.  The bogus link they were asked to click also contained the search firm's name adding to the appearance of authenticity, Google says.  However, the attempt was spotted by a Safe Browsing feature added to Google's Chrome browser last year.  Most of the six candidates in Friday's election are conservatives close to Ayatollah Khamenei.  The opposition says more than 80 of its supporters were killed in a crackdown over a period of six months after the 2009 election - a figure the government disputes. Several have been sentenced to death, and dozens jailed.  The two reformist candidates from 2009 - Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi - remain under house arrest.

for more information click here

Source: BBC News 

Poster's comment: I would suggest a more secured web-hosting service. That may reduce the number of attacks to a certain extent.

Global warming may up flood risks in India.

Posted by: Avirup Basu

Dept::        Science/Technology

TOKYO: Unchecked global warming may increase the risk of flooding at the end of this century in 42 per cent of the Earth's land surface, including parts of India, Southeast Asia and Africa, a new study has warned.  According to a research team led by Yukiko Hirabayashi at the University of Tokyo's Institute of Engineering Innovation, the number of people exposed to the risk of flooding would increase from the current estimate of 5.6 million to 80 million by 2100 if temperatures rise by 3.5 C degrees during the period.

Source: The Times of India

Poster's comment: Wake up!!! If we don't start now, there won't be anything to start with!!

Why Exercise Is So Important for Your Mind, Mood, and Body?

Posted by : Deep Paul

E-mail :       pauldeep662@gmail.com

Dept :         Fitness

 

 Most of us know by now that we should be exercising on a regular basis. But do you really know why exercise is so important? Not only does working out help you shed a few pounds, but there are also many other compelling reasons to include some regular activity in your routine. Read on to get motivated for exercise.

Exercise has many benefits. It reduces depression and instantly lifts mood due to the production of endorphins, the feel-good hormones. No matter how down you are feeling before you exercise, you will definitely feel a lot more upbeat by the end of your session.

Exercise also helps you sleep better. The actual physical activity will ensure that your body and mind are ready for a great night’s sleep.

Another benefit is decreasing stress levels. Worries tend to diminish in size while you are concentrating on working out. Combined with the production of endorphins, stress and anxiety will decrease.

Exercise improves focus and mental clarity. Research has shown that those who participate in regular exercise have less chance of suffering from Alzheimer’s and senility.

It promotes better energy levels. It may sound unlikely, but the more you exercise, the more energy you will have. Feeling lethargic? Go for a brisk walk.

Improved strength and stamina are common with regular exercise. Those bothersome chores will feel much easier, and you will be able to do more for longer.

Exercise increases muscle tone, leaving you looking more defined. The extra muscle mass will also help to increase your resting metabolism.

It can improve self-esteem and self-confidence. Once you start toning up, you will look better and feel better. The extra energy, stamina, and endorphins will spill over into other areas of your life. You will feel more in control of yourself and your life.

Exercise can improve balance and coordination, as well as cardiovascular fitness, helping reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack. Aerobic activity will improve both the health and efficiency of your heart and lungs. The improved circulation results in a glowing complexion and improved transportation of oxygen around the body.

With regular exercise, there is a decreased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

Exercise increases bone strength, helping to alleviate the painful condition known as osteoporosis (loss of calcium in bones).

Regular exercise also promotes a healthy immune system.

Getting Started 

Thirty minutes every day is ideal. If 30 minutes is too big a call, try to break it up into smaller intervals. Go for a walk at lunchtime, or use the stairs at the office instead of the elevator. Use your car less and make an effort to ride a bike or walk. It all adds up.

Types of beneficial exercise include brisk walking, jogging, running, swimming and aqua-aerobics, tennis, skating and rollerblading, skiing, yard work, walking the dog, dancing, resistance work, fitness classes, sports, cycling, skipping rope, and just running around and playing with the kids. Try to find activities that you are good at and enjoy. If you have fun while you are working out, you will want to keep going, and your sense of well-being will be heightened. If you don’t enjoy your workout, swap to something else.

Once you have incorporated a regular workout into you daily routine, you will quickly notice the difference when you skip a session. Having less energy and feeling more stressed and anxious are some of the most obvious symptoms that quickly return.

Once you have started exercising regularly, you will wonder how you ever managed without it. Your body and health will reward you as well.

 

Source: Fitnesstips

Posters comment: Get yourself moving(GYM)!!

Internet Companies wants permission to reveal details of NSA spy program.

Posted by: Avirup Basu

Dept:         Technology/World

Three big Internet companies want the Obama administration to let them reveal details of federal court orders to turn over information about their users to U.S. spy agencies.  Google, Facebook and Microsoft say they want everything transparent and out in the open. Google's chief legal official said Tuesday his company has "nothing to hide."  Google says media reports that it gives the spy agencies unlimited access to information about its customers are not true. It says government orders to keep the details secret just add to rumors and speculation.  The National Security Agency has acknowledged leaked newspaper reports that its program called PRISM collects emails and other data from Internet companies.

    A former NSA contractor, Edward Snowden, leaked the story about PRISM and NSA monitoring of telephone calls to The Guardian and Washington Post.  He said it is important to reveal what he says is the government's massive surveillance program on private citizens.  The U.S. says information gathered by the NSA has foiled terrorist plots. The Justice Department is investigating possible criminal charges against Snowden, who fled to Hong Kong last month but whose exact whereabouts are not known.  The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging whether the NSA spy program is constitutional. The ACLU argues that the spying violates the rights to free speech and privacy. An ACLU attorney says the constitution does not let the government carry out unsuspicious surveillance of every person in the country.

Source: Voice of America news.

FAST, HEALTHY CONVENIENCE STORE SNACKS

Posted by: Deep Paul

E-mail:       pauldeep662@gmail.com

Dept:         Fitness

1. Pistachios 

This green little nut has been deemed “the skinny nut” by nutrition experts because of its low calorie count -- 32 pistachios (in-shell) are about 100 calories. Considered to be one of the healthiest of all the tree nuts, pistachios are an excellent source of fiber, potassium and nutrients. And if the words “low-calorie” and “nutrient-rich” don’t spark your interest, consider this: recent studies suggest that eating small amounts of pistachios daily may lower cholesterol levels and lower the risk of heart disease. One serving of pistachios has as much fiber as two plums!

2. Mozzarella Sticks (A.K.A. String Cheese) 

Available in most convenience stores, mozzarella sticks are a great protein-rich snack that is usually under 100 calories. These yummy sticks have approximately between 7 to 9 grams of protein and are a good source of Vitamin A and calcium. They are also a great snack for people on low carb diets. There might not be more than one brand available at your local convenience store, but if there is, double check the nutrition facts and the ingredients to ensure that you choose the healthiest option.

3. Whole Grain Cereal Cups

Cereal cups are almost always available at your local convenience store. Just as you would at the supermarket, be sure to read the nutrition facts to choose the one made with whole grain cereals, rich in dietary fiber, and low in added sugar and sodium. Whole grains contain the germ, bran and endosperm components of the grain kernel -- natural sources of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Add some milk and/or a banana – both of which you can also find at a convenience store -- for a filling breakfast. Or snack on the dry cereal to satisfy your craving for something crunchy. It will be a far better choice than potato chips. 

4. Plain Roasted Peanuts 

Peanuts are not actually “nuts” at all – they are a species in the legume or "bean" family. Peanuts provide a great source of beneficial vitamins and minerals, such as Vitamin E, foliate, zinc and manganese. They’ll keep your immune system healthy, acting as antioxidants and helping to prevent chronic disease. And if that weren’t enough, they are completely cholesterol free! A small bag of peanuts is usually cheap and easy to eat on the go. Eat a small handful of roasted peanuts to keep you feeling full until your next meal. If you are not particularly good with portion control, buy peanuts in the shell. The extra effort that you’ll put into shelling them will have you eating slower and quite possibly less. 

5. Yogurt 

Yogurt is a protein and calcium-rich snack loaded with probiotics. It’s perfect for health conscious people looking for a snack on the go. According to the National Yogurt Association, yogurt's many health benefits include boosting immunity, promoting strong bone mass, and reducing the risk of colorectal cancer. Try to grab the real thing and opt for products that contain minimal added sugar. Even better, choose a low fat version. If they have Greek yogurt, consider that as well.

Source:  LiveStrong

Posters comment: Get yourself moving(GYM)!!

Gesture recognition technology developed using wi-fi signals

Posted by: Avirup Basu

Dept:         Technology

This technology, which they call 'WiSee', is to appear at The 19th Annual International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking.

A team, led by a Indian researcher, has developed a system which uses radio waves from Wi-Fi to sense human body movements and detect command gestures from anywhere within a home or office.  University of Washington computer scientists have shown it’s possible to leverage Wi-Fi signals around us to detect specific movements without needing sensors on the human body or cameras.  By using an adapted Wi-Fi router and a few wireless devices in the living room, users could control their electronics and household appliances from any room in the home with a simple gesture.  “This is repurposing wireless signals that already exist in new ways,” lead researcher Shyam Gollakota, a UW assistant professor of computer science and engineering, said.  “You can actually use wireless for gesture recognition without needing to deploy more sensors,” he said.  This technology, which they call “WiSee,” is to appear at The 19th Annual International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking.  The concept is similar to Xbox Kinect – a commercial product that uses cameras to recognize gestures – but the UW technology is simpler, cheaper and doesn’t require users to be in the same room as the device they want to control.  That’s because Wi-Fi signals can travel through walls and aren’t bound by line-of-sight or sound restrictions.  The UW researchers built a “smart” receiver device that essentially listens to all of the wireless transmissions coming from devices throughout a home, including smartphones, laptops and tablets.  A standard Wi-Fi router could be adapted to function as a receiver.  When a person moves, there is a slight change in the frequency of the wireless signal.  Moving a hand or foot causes the receiver to detect a pattern of changes known as the Doppler frequency shift.  These frequency changes are very small – only several hertz – when compared with Wi-Fi signals that have a 20 megahertz bandwidth and operate at 5 gigahertz.  Researchers developed an algorithm to detect these slight shifts. The technology also accounts for gaps in wireless signals when devices aren’t transmitting.  The technology can identify nine different whole-body gestures, ranging from pushing, pulling and punching to full-body bowling.  The researchers tested these gestures with five users in a two-bedroom apartment and an office environment.  Out of the 900 gestures performed, WiSee accurately classified 94 percent of them.

Source: dnaindia

Posters Comment: Amazing technology!! 

Apple shows off the new OS for there devices IOS7

Posted by: Avirup Basu

dept:          Technology

As per expectation, Apple showed off the new operating system for the mobile devices – the iPhone, the iPads and the iPod Touch. Named iOS 7, the new OS brings in a completely different user interface. Tim Cook described this as the biggest iOS update since the launch of the iPhone. Out go the skeumorphic layout, and in comes the cleaner layout with a completely new and crisper font. The focus is on the “depth” perception at most parts of the interface, and even overlays, like the Control Centre, tend to take influence from the part of the UI that is currently on the screen.  “There is a profound and enduring beauty in simplicity, in clarity, in efficiency. True simplicity is derived from so much more than just the absence of clutter and ornamentation—it’s about bringing order to complexity,” said Jony Ive, Apple’s senior vice president of Design. “iOS 7 is a clear representation of these goals. It has a whole new structure that is coherent and applied across the entire system.”  The new OS will bring in a lot of new features, as well as tweak some existing ones to make them better.  iOS 7 will introduce the Control Centre. This is essentially a bunch of settings that you can quickly access anywhere in the UI by swiping up from the bottom of the screen. Quick settings like Airplane Mode, Brightness levels, Wi-Fi, AirPlay, music playback etc. will be available.  The Notifications have been given an overhaul as well, and the new Today feature gives you an at-a-glance view of your day with a summary of the important details such as weather, traffic, meetings and events. Notification Center is now available from the Lock screen as well.  Multi-tasking has now been extended to all apps that you may have on the device, and the visual layout of how you manage switching between apps has also been given a complete overhaul. The method of double tapping the home key to get to the option remains the same.

Apple has added the AirDrop feature to iOS 7, making sharing files between Apple devices a lot easier. It works exactly as it does between two Macs. Apple did take a dig at the NFC technology, by joking about the fact that AirDrop negates the need to go around tapping phones with each other! iOS 7 gets a new Camera app, with new features like filters, allowing you to add real-time photo effects. The Camera app also gets the square camera option, and you can quickly and easily switch between your four cameras—video, photo, square and panorama—with just a swipe within the app. Carrying on with the theme of photography, iOS 7 will feature a completely redesigned Photos app. The biggest new feature is called Moments, which automatically organises your photos and videos based on time and location they were shot. You can also see these Moments sorted by location, month and even by year. The updated iCloud Photo Sharing allows your family and friends to add photos to your shared photo streams, and the new Activity view displays updates from your shared streams all in one place. Now, iCloud Photo Stream also allows sharing videos. Safari has been given a complete makeover as well. The redesigned interface focuses on bringing more content on the screen. Safari now gets the full-screen browsing mode as well. Smart Search field now looks through your bookmarks and online search results simultaneously. If you have multiple tabs open on the browser, the way they are stacked has been completely redone as well. Safari will also benefit from the iCloud Keychain, which can now store your passwords and credit card information and make them available across all devices. The idea is to ensure that you have any login or transaction details available on any device at any time. Enhanced Parental Controls will allow specific websites to be blocked. SIRI has been given some love as well. The female voice has been changed, and a male voice has also been added. There is now the language option as well, with German and French being two examples. SIRI now has Twitter integration, and will pull search results to show what people are saying. For the web based searches, Bing continues to be the engine.

The Music app on iOS 7 has been given a complete overhaul. The most important change is the addition of the new iTunes Radio, a free Internet radio service featuring over 200 stations and music from the iTunes Store. Apple says, “When you tune into iTunes Radio on any device running iTunes, you’ll have access to stations inspired by the music you already listen to, Featured Stations curated by Apple and genre-focused stations that are personalised just for you. iTunes Radio evolves based on the music you play and download. The more you use iTunes Radio and iTunes, the more it knows what you like to listen to and the more personalised your experience becomes.” iTunes Radio also gives you access to exclusive “first listen” premieres from top selling artists, Siri integration plus the ability to buy anything you hear with just one tap.

That’s not all! iOS 7’s feature list has not ended yet! The new Find My iPhone Activation Lock feature that requires your Apple ID and password before you can turn off Find My iPhone, erase data or re-activate a device after it’s been remotely erased. This is to make the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch less enticing to steal! FaceTime gets the audio calls feature, allowing users to make voice only calls over the service, on Wi-Fi or a mobile service provider’s data connection. The new Notification Centre comes with Notification Sync, which will sync your interaction with every notification across all devices. You don’t need to repeat the same action across all devices now. Phone, FaceTime and Messages blocking to prevent specific people from being able to contact you. Apple did not release many details regarding this feature, but we sure believe this is very interesting. The iOS 7 beta software and SDK are available immediately for iOS Developer Program members. For the consumers, the new OS will be available “this fall”. At the moment, Apple says the update will be available for the iPhone 4 and later, iPad 2 and later, iPad mini and iPod touch (fifth generation).


Source: Think Digit.

Posters comment: I just can't wait to lay my hands on it.

Humans of the future to look like Pokemon characters

Posted by: Avirup Basu

E-mail:       ami.avirup17@gmail.com

Dept:         Science

Humans of the future might look more like Pokemon characters with bigger heads, bigger eyes and improved night vision, two researchers have suggested.   Computational geneticist Alan Kwan and artist Nickolay Lamm d said that in 100,000 years, people might have larger heads, Google Glasstype contact lenses and sideways-blinking oversized Disney eyes that glow green with cat-like night vision.   They envision a future where zygotic genome engineering technology develops to the point where humans will be able to control their own evolution. This ability could result in more facial features that humans find attractive : strong lines, straight noses and perfect symmetry. But other changes may be driven by function, they said.   Kwan said heads might also expand to accommodate larger brains as our knowledge increases, and space colonization could produce larger eyes to account for dimmer environments. 

   

Posters comment--- I only hope that BNS stays active for atleast 100,000 years. 

Microsoft's X-Box one to cost $449 will be out in November

Posted by: Avirup Basu

E-mail;      ami.avirup17@gmail.com

dept:         Technology

 Microsoft has its head in the cloud with Xbox One.  The company focused on how cloud computing will make games for its next-generation Xbox One console more immersive during its Monday presentation at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the gaming industry’s annual trade show. Microsoft announced last week that the successor to the Xbox 360 must be connected to the Internet every 24 hours to operate, and the system would ideally always be online.  “The platform features and capabilities exclusive to Xbox One allow developers to push the boundaries of creativity and take gaming in completely new directions,” Microsoft Vice President Phil Harrison told the crowd.  The upcoming console’s cloud computing capabilities were demonstrated by fleshing out dense environments in third-person open-world games like the zombie-fighting sequel “Dead Rising 3″ and cartoony shooter “Sunset Overdrive.” The racing simulator “Forza MotorSport 5″ introduced a feature called “drivatar,” which mimics players’ driving styles and allows their “drivatars” to play for them offline.  “It’s about delivering real human behaviour,” said “Forza MotorSport” creative director Dan Greenawalt.  Microsoft revealed the console, which it has billed as an “all-in-one” entertainment solution for living rooms, will be released in November and cost $499. The company debuted the console earlier this year at its headquarters in Redmond, Wash. The initial reactions to the device have been mixed.  Other games coming to Xbox One include the historical third-person game “Ryse: Son of Rome,” hard-knuckled brawler “Killer Instinct,” a bigger edition of “Minecraft,” terra-forming simulator “Project Spark” and a new installment of the sci-fi shooter series “Halo.”  Monday’s flashy event concluded with the debut of the mech-heavy multiplayer shooter “Titanfall,” the first game from Respawn Entertainment, which was founded by “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” creators Vince Zampella and Jason West.  The company said it was doing away with its Microsoft points system for online purchases with its Xbox Live online service, opting instead for local currency.  Microsoft didn’t address concerns over connectivity, used games and privacy issues with the Xbox One, which will feature a new version of its camera-based Kinect sensor. In a blog post on Microsoft’s site last Thursday ahead of E3, the company outlined more details about the console, including that there would be restrictions on how previously played or used games could be shared.  “For people who are in a completely disconnected state, I think (Xbox) 360 is definitely a great content base for them and a great console, and we’ll continue to invest in that,” said Phil Spencer, Microsoft Studios’ vice president, after the event.  Microsoft Corp. kicked off Monday’s presentation by revealing the Xbox 360 is getting a makeover with a design inspired by the Xbox One.  Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s vice president of marketing and strategy, said the updated Xbox 360 is “smaller, sleeker and as quiet as ever.” He added it would be available beginning Monday.  The company boasted that hundreds of new games are still coming to Xbox 360, which was originally released eight years ago as the high-definition successor to the Xbox. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 has outsold rivals like the Wii and PlayStation 3 from Nintendo and Sony for the past two years. It’s sold more than 76 million Xbox 360 units.

Let's Change---- A new initiative by a group of teens from Siliguri, West Bengal, India. 

Posted by: Avirup Basu

E-mail:      ami.avirup17@gmail.com

Dept:        Miscellaneous( Innovation )

A new initiative taken by a group of teens to highlight the anti-social and abominable ambiance of the Indian Politics and culture. It all started in a classroom and spread as a local facebook page. Now it is at it heights of initial success. It is maintained by a small yet Intelligent school going students. Like there facebook page here. Also join there group here. The organisation's prime aim is to " ‘Lets change’ takes pride to cherish the fine aspects concerning India and its society all together. However it concurrently strives to expose the shady face which shackles the genuine development of our country. The prime intent is to liberate ourselves from the unwanted inertia that has gripped the nation’s psyche.". Keep a visit on there page to get all the latest updates. 

As told by one of the co-founder Mr Sayan Sanyal, the group has high future plans. Alone with other members, (Rick Chakrabarti, Shaswata Das, Sarbojit Majumdar) we hope that they succeed and wish a bright future of the Organisation. This post is to highlight there activities. 

The Long Awaited event for Microsoft Student Partners finally starts on 17th June, 2013----- MSP-BootCamp.

Posted by: Avirup Basu

E-mail:      ami.avirup17@gmail.com

Dept:        Technology.

Subject:    The Long awaited event MSP Bootcamp.

Microsoft declares the launch of the long awaited event MSP Bootcamp. Unlike other bootcamps, this one is solely for MSPs(Microsoft Student Partners). This time it is launched as a series which will be held at 4 different locations across India namely Greater Noida, Lonavala, Chennai, Tadepallegudem. It will be held on 4 different dates starting from 17th and ending on 27th June and the most exciting news is that all the MSPs are invited. 

     The MSP bootcamp is the ultimate desire of all the MSPs since it is the place to meet all the MSPs across the country, interact with Microsoft guys, attend technical sessions, special prizes for top performers and a hell lot of more interesting stuffs. There would be a total of 1 and a half day program which would include keynote, some technical sessions, and a lot more interesting stuffs. Just wait a little bit more till we get some hands on experience by the MSPs who will be attending the bootcamp. Very soon we will be posting the stuffs about it. Stay tuned ....!!!! 

NEW DRAMA ON THE RELEASE OF ASSASSIN'S CREED 4: BLACK FLAG

When Ubisoft unveiled the gameplay of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, it was expected that Whaling will be a part of this games as Pirates made whaling a part of their life in 16th century. The animal-rights group PETA was quick to condemn Ubisoft, saying its inclusion glorifies hurting and killing animals.
Polygon spoke to Matt Bruce of PETA's International Grassroots Campaigns to clarify the animal-rights group's stance. "There are so many creative minds at Ubisoft that are involved with the Assassin's Creed series that we find it really disappointing that they feel the need to glorify whaling," Bruce said. "PETA encourages video game companies to create games that celebrate animals, not games that promote hurting and killing them."
PETA's objection on AC4 deals with the real world suffering. According to PETA, Ubisoft is the organization that supports whaling which is now prohibited in much of the world as a barbaric practice. Its presence in the game, PETA says, trivializes what whales endure.
"JOE SHMOE WHO PLAYS THIS GAME IN HIS MOTHER'S BASEMENT IN THE SAFETY AND COMFORT OF HIS HOME WILL FEEL A SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT BY KILLING THIS WHALE."
"This would be a different story if the game portrayed the cruelty and horror experienced when a whale is literally fleeing for her life and then shot with a harpoon — or even several harpoons — and forced to struggle for hours or be hacked apart while still alive aboard a ship," he said.
However, Whaling was a common prectice of the time period when the game takes place. Ubisoft said that a historical plot doesn't change the organization's underlying objection, Bruce said, comparing it to human slavery.
"If there was a game that took place in pre-Civil War America where your character had to enslave people, people would definitely have a problem with that because they would feel like it was glorifying the enslavement of people," he said.
"History is our playground in Assassin's Creed," Chin said. "Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is a work of fiction that depicts the real events during the golden era of pirates. We do not condone illegal whaling, just as we don't condone a pirate lifestyle of poor hygiene, plundering, hijacking ships and over-the-legal-limit drunken debauchery."
PETA's recommendation is for Ubisoft to simply remove whaling from the game, a decision it claims wouldn't harm the experience.
"It doesn't take anything away from having [whaling] not be a part of the game, but they insisted on putting it in," Peta said. "Unfortunately, it's glorifying something that's still happening today and is as cruel and bloody as it was 300 years ago."
Source: Internet